Thick As Thieves
by legheads-lament
Summary: Outlaw Queen — Post 3x15. "...she hadn't asked for a partner. She didn't want or need one. And yet she'd allowed him to get so close she could feel his breath brush across her cheek, his musky scent to flood her senses, that forest stench he wore like expensive cologne."


A/N: I've only ever written Mad Queen fics so this is new for me, but this ship has started to drown me already and I couldn't help it. Just a little something that could have occurred after the scene in the forest. I hope you enjoy :)

* * *

Tears pricked her eyes as she turned away from the scene, and that was when he saw it — a glimpse of blue and grey near the treeline.

"Roland you stay here, I'll be right back," he said, putting his son down to frolick over to one of the merry men. He hurried after her, his boot snapping a twig when he rounded the tree she'd been stood by.

"Regina?" He called ahead, but she didn't answer, made sure she didn't even turn her head, her feet carrying her as fast as they could, all but forgetting that she could just poof her way home in an instant. Her nerves felt frazzled, so who knows if she actually would have ended up back home. He'd get the message. He wasn't as dense as the forest they were standing in.

_Or was he_.

She walked quickly but he ran quicker, calling her name again once he was only a few paces behind.

"Regina…"

"_It's your majesty_," she whirled around, and had he still been running he'd have crashed right into her for stopping so quickly.

"I'm sorry?" He questioned her, eyebrows knit in confusion, not unlike when she'd ran out of the house after he'd offered her a drink.

"I'm sure your wife would love to hear about your behavior," she spat the words at him, baring her teeth.

"My wife, I —"

"How dare you have spoken to me that way, _I am your Queen_," her heart lurched, her voice betraying the bite of her words. This was all wrong. He was wrong. The pixie dust — the pixie dust had been wrong.

"Rumor has it that you have a child, your majesty, but I don't see your husband here." When he spoke her eyes finally found some focus, her vision narrowing and landing on him but her expression was just confused.

"I don't — I'm not married." She answered lamely, she wouldn't give this man the satisfaction of knowing for certain that she had a child — a child who had no idea who she was. Who hadn't smiled or ran to her in years.

"And neither am I. Not anymore."

His voice was gentle as he spoke. He had that talent down. Gentle when it served him, cocky when it served him more. How she'd allowed herself to be put in this position at all, she hadn't asked for a partner. She didn't want or need one. And yet she'd allowed him to get so close she could feel his breath brush across her cheek, his musky scent to flood her senses, that forest stench he wore like expensive cologne. As if it could have convinced her to have a drink with a thief, a criminal, no — she'd been down that road before. Not long after the pixie dust had led her to this burly figure in a bar she had allowed another thief to get too close, and he did what thieves do — stole the last remaining shards of her heart, the splotches of red that still littered it at the time, turning every edge to black in his wake and she would not let _this_ thief do the same. No matter how gentle or sincere his voice could sound.

"She died, my wife, Roland's mother. She died." She didn't want her expression to soften but it did of its own accord.

"But as for how I spoke to you if you really took offense then I apologize, I meant no disrespect."

Her hands that were down at her sides seemed to twitch, her arms raising to wrap around herself as she stood with pursed lips, eyes not quite allowing themselves to settle on his own for too long. They wandered down to the ground, flicking back up to his wrist, though she couldn't see it that lion seemed to roar beneath the fabric, taunting her.

"Apology accepted," she answered, voice clinical and dry. "Now if you'll excuse me I need to get out of this forest."

"I'll walk you," he said, taking a few steps forward before her posture went rigid.

"I don't need your help," her hand raised to stop him from coming any closer but closer he came.

"It's dangerous out here…" The concern in his voice was genuine. He really mustn't have known her reputation as much as he'd like to think.

"I don't care." She bit back, storming off just as she had before but she didn't get far. Within three steps he was standing in front of her, his hands gripping her arms to stop her from walking away.

"Regina — _what happened_?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean,"

Well one thing was for sure, for an Evil Queen she couldn't lie worth a damn.

"One minute we were talking, you seemed…"

"I seemed what? How did I seem to you, thief?" Her words were full of disdain and yet she made no move to step out of his grasp, or to send him flying with a burst of magic, no matter how much he may have deserved it.

"You seemed — to be enjoying yourself. _Enjoying my attention_."

She scoffed.

"Were you not? Because I believe if I were to step that close again…your heart would pick up speed." As he spoke his body followed through with the threat of his words, trailing just enough behind that she would know what he was going to do just before he did it.

"If I were to whisper in your ear…your breath would catch in that lovely throat." And just as he mirrored the action of his words so did she. She felt the knot that formed when he leaned in to whisper about whispering, a constricted sensation nearly clamping shut her airway.

"And if I were to leave you wouldn't know what to do with any of it."

He pulled back and released her, took in the look on her face before she could hide it away from his view. But before he'd even had a chance to take a step back the puff of purple smoke had already engulfed her, leaving behind nothing but her scent, and the imprint of her expression, etched into his mind.

Little did she know the touch of magenta that had colored her cloud, shifting the spectrum of color just a fraction warmer. As everyone knows true love bleeds red.

* * *

I would love some reviews/opinions on this. Should I pursue doing anything more with this pairing?


End file.
